Locatable shopping cart and methods for locating the same

ABSTRACT

A shopping cart that can be geographically located, methods for locating such carts, and a selection system for enabling a user to create a list of items on a portable computing device, to communicate with external devices to locate each of the items available on the list within a geographically limited area, to provide users with visual or aural cues as to the location of items on the list, to progress through the list of items as each item is selected or rejected, and providing discounts toward, information about, or alternatives to the available items on the list.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional patent application, taking priority from U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/177,472, filed Jul. 22, 2008; which is adivision of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/226,456, filed Aug. 26,2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,424,447; which are incorporated herein byreference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to systems for locating information andobjects and marketing and promoting products and services, and moreparticularly to a shopping cart that can be geographically located,methods for locating such carts, and a selection system that operates inconjunction with such carts to enable users to create a list of items toobtain, purchase or locate within a store or other geographic area,provides users with visual or aural cues as to the location of items ontheir list, progress through the list of items as each item on the listis selected or marked off, and provide discounts toward, informationabout, or alternatives to the selected items at least partially based ondata entered by the user.

STATEMENTS AS TO THE RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSOREDRESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAMLISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic organizers typically include a number of different functions,such as a contact/address list, a calendar/date book, and a To Do list.While the contact list and calendar functions are popular with manyusers, the To Do list and other list functions are rarely used becausethey have limited utility. For example, while a user could writeanything she wanted to on the electronic list, other than highlightingan entry, indicating an entry has been completed, or deleting an entry,the list performs no other function. Likewise, with a paper list, userswrite entries on the list, highlight the entries, cross the entries offthe list, or erase the entries. In this sense, an electronic list is notreally different from a paper list, other than the medium on which it iscreated. In other words, the electronic list is not interactive.

The medium of the electronic list does, however, make it possible forthe electronic list to be something more than an electronic version of apaper list. Electronic organizers such as Palm and Microsoft Pocket PCcompatible devices can be programmed to provide greater utilities for anelectronic list. For example, a shareware web clipping applicationcalled Mobile List 1.0 allows different groups of users to manage andshare lists of information and to access those lists with mobiledevices. Although users create these lists, the lists themselves performno interactive function. A similar shareware software application isTealInfo v3.11 by TealPoint Software that allows users to create lists,reference tables, numbers, and guides in data “Folios,” which look andfeel like mini applications, but these mini applications are limited torunning on the mobile device on which the application is created, andnot in conjunction with external devices.

Programmed lists are also used to locate addresses and stores externalto the mobile devices on which they are created, but these lists do notinteract with external devices. For example, with Vicinity BrandFinder1.3, a user can select a branded restaurant or store from a pre-createdlist, and the Palm organizer will provide the user with informationabout the nearest selected restaurant or store to the user based on theuser's current address or location, as entered by the user. Likewise,shopping list software, such as SplashShopper by SplashData, a sharewareapplication for Palm operating system (“OS”) handhelds, enables users tobuild lists of groceries to buy, books to read, movies to rent, etc.

While programs such a SplashShopper include a number of built in detailsthat make it easier for users to build useful lists, such as a preloadedlist of generic names for items to buy (i.e., apples, bottled water,bologna, bagels), preloaded categories for each generic item (i.e.,fruits, beverages, deli meats, breads), the user has to enter the pricefor each item and the aisle numbers where the items can be found. Forexample, the only way a user can put on their list that bottled watercosts $0.99/bottle, and can be found on Aisle 7A, is because the userhas previously gone through the laborious process of entering the priceand location information for bottled water. Generic items, such as“bottled water,” are not brand specific so users cannot select amongdifferent types of bottled water at different prices and possibly evenin different locations within the store (i.e., a general aisle versus aspecialty food section). If a user wanted to skip the generic items andcreate their own list, they could, but they would have to enter all ofthe details, such as the name of the item, its category, price,location, etc., which can be awkward and time consuming on a handhelddevice.

An alternative system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,276, issued toJelen, et al., which discloses a shopping list that can be created byusing a bar code scanner to input Uniform Product Codes from the labelsof previously purchased products or manufacturer's coupons, in additionto hand inputting information.

Other shopping list programs, which do not use scanned information, suchas Shopping List Deluxe by Spitting-Image Software, include preloadeddata, such as the type of units an item is packaged in (i.e., plastic,box, jar, can), and the amount needed in units (i.e., ½ pound, 20 ounce,5 medium sized). Shopping List Deluxe even allows users to create a mapof their favorite store by copying an empty store into their handheld,adding or removing items and locations within the store, and assigningaisle numbers to the store locations. Users can also share their storemaps with other users over the Internet. There are a number of problemswith such maps, including: (1) stores frequently changing the locationof items within the stores; (2) the impracticality of users manuallyentering the thousands of different items found in each store; and (3)fully loaded maps would be so full of information that they would be tooinconvenient to be useful.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,541, issued to Scroggie, et al., combines a shoppinglist with a coupon/information delivery system. To receive the shoppinglist generator and information, a user must first log into the systemthrough a computer network and register with the system. The user canthereafter browse through information on the system over the World WideWeb or via email. If a user chooses a coupon (purchase incentive), theuser must provide additional personal information and designate aspecific retailer for redemption of the coupon. In accordance with theScroggie system, users can get focused incentives if they supply aunique identification, the purchasing information (i.e., a credit card)that will be used for in-store purchases, and have established a recordof past shopping behavior upon which the focused incentives can bebased. U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,261, issued to Cybul, et al., discloses afrequent shopper program that is likewise based on collecting acustomer's shopping history at the point of sale system within theretail store and using that information to determine the customer'sentitlement to frequent shopper discounts.

Jelen, et al. also disclose that lists can be transmitted to base unitssituated at a retailer via a computer network and then downloaded ontobulky computer terminals affixed to shopping carts within the retailer'sstore when the user visits the store. The portable customer terminal,which is coupled to a bar code scanner, then communicates with the baseunit to identify the terminal's general location within the store and tocommunicate the shopper's product purchases as they are scanned into theterminal and to download advertisements to the user based on the scannedinformation or the user's location within the store. Scanned in productscan then be added to or removed from the shopper's purchase list, andused to create a running expense total. By establishing various zoneswithin the store, unique advertisements for each of the zones can betransmitted to the shopper when in each zone. Despite its locationsensing capability, the Jelen, et al. system does not identify theactual location of items within the store to the shopper, and despiteits ability to communicate with a host system operated by the retailer;the system does not verify and confirm the shopper's list against theretailer's database of existing products. In other words, the shoppinglist is a static feature of the Jelen, et al. system, rather than alocation and selection tool.

GPS-based devices in electronic organizers and automobiles includefunctions that can simplify the process of finding the location of asingle item, such as an address, within a large area, such as ametropolitan area, but they do not assist users in finding a sequentiallist of items within such an area. GPS devices also operate inconjunction with external GPS navigation systems so they are not totallydependent on user-entered information in order to function properly.While some GPS devices enable users to select locations based onpre-created lists, once a user has entered a location into the GPSdevice, the user can add that location to a list created by the user.Once a location has been chosen from a list, the GPS device willcommunicate with the GPS navigation system (such as a satellite) andcalculate the route (based on user preferences, such as shortest route,fastest route, etc.) for the user to take in order to get to the chosenlocation. Theoretically, a user could create a list of locations tovisit and simply run down that list as each location is visited, but theuser would have to re-engage the GPS device after each item on the listwas located in order to get the system to identify the location of thenext item. In other words, the GPS device would not automatically moveon to the next location as each location is visited, and other thanproviding route and address information to the location, the user isprovided with no other information about the chosen location.

An additional example is the Pocket Wine List 1.01, which enables usersto match food to pre-created lists of wine, so as to find the mostappropriate wine for certain types of food. While the Pocket Wine Listincludes information about each of the wines on the list, it operates inthe same fashion as a physical reference book about wine. Hence, thePocket Wine List is just an electronic reference book and is not aninteractive list.

Internet users can also shop for groceries and many other items on-linethrough the use of various websites. Many of these sites include anextensive list of items available from that retailer, the price of eachitem, the quantity available, the sizes, etc., like shopping listsoftware, only based on the information provided by the website. Moston-line purchase websites use so-called “shopping cart” software forholding items selected by users while they shop on-line and forsimplifying the checkout and purchasing process. Once a user haspurchased selected items, the retailer collects the items from theirstore or warehouse and delivers them to the user. Internet shoppers atsuch websites do not, however, get to select the specific items they maywant to purchase. While this may not be significant for generic itemslike computer software in shrink-wrapped packages, it makes a bigdifference when the item being purchased is a bag of fruit orvegetables. For example, the fruit or vegetables might not be of thesize, odor, ripeness or quality that the user would have chosen had theuser been in the store making the selections. Likewise, if a can of foodis delivered to the buyer with a dent in the can, the buyer doesn't knowif it was dented after being collected by the retailer or was dentedduring delivery to the store, but either way, if the buyer does nottrust dented cans, the buyer's only choice is to reject the can when itis delivered or return it later, order it again, and hope it is correctthe next time.

None of the organizer based-lists, locater devices or Internet shoppingaides discussed above collectively enable a user to create their ownlist of items on the organizer or locater, communicate with externaldevices to locate each of the items within a geographically limitedarea, sequentially progress through the list of items as each item isselected, and provide discounts toward, information about, oralternatives to the selected items.

Proximity marketing or advertising enables sellers to offer product orservice information or discounts to potential customers that are near anitem to be sold. Within a grocery store, for example, advertisements forproducts sold within the store are placed on the aisle racks, onshopping carts, on signs hanging from the ceiling, and even on theflooring. Although such advertisements may be placed in close proximityto the items being marketed, the proximity marketers have no actualinformation as to whether potential customers are interested in theproduct being advertised, other than by assuming that they might beinterested in products near their location in the store.

Another proximity marketing technique involves broadcasting messages,such as wireless email messages, to potential customers' wirelessdevices as those customers pass by the outside of a store. Again, themarketers of such information have no idea if a passerby is interestedin the products or services of the store broadcasting the messages, thata passerby will even be looking at their wireless device at anappropriate point in time, or that the device is capable of receivingsuch messages. A slightly improved technique is practiced by a virtualqueuing system called the Q-bot, which is a wireless device issued tousers wishing to reserve a position in a line for a popular ride at anamusement park while continuing to walk around the park. The Q-botsystem can track a user's location within the park and offer themdiscounts on food or other items when they near a restaurant or otherfacility. The Q-bot system, however, still has no idea whether users areinterested in the restaurant or facility at the time such information isprovided, nor does the Q-bot system enable users to create their ownlist of items in which they are interested.

Target stores have adopted a different approach to offering customersdiscounts on items through a paperless coupon system that enables thestore to personalize promotions. A customer must first download offersfrom Target displayed on their home computer onto a Target credit cardembedded with a computer chip, using a card reader that Target providesfor free. The customer then uses the card at Target to redeem thecoupons. Each Target store can then keep track of how much of certainitems a customer has purchased and offer that customer subsequentdiscounts on related items or otherwise track the customer's buyingpatterns and adjust their promotions accordingly.

A similar type of system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,271, issuedto Powell, which includes a smart card, a display kiosk, and a checkoutstation in the checkout area of a store. In accordance with Powell, thecustomer comes into the store with the smart card pre-loaded withcoupons the customer hopes to redeem, inserts the card into the kiosk toview the location of products corresponding to the coupons stored on thecard, goes about the store attempting to find the products, and redeemsthe coupons upon completion of shopping by inserting the card into thecheckout station. U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,271, issued to Deaton, et al.,describes a similar smart card system, with a similar kiosk fordisplaying coupon offers, like that disclosed in Powell, but which usesthe customer's real-time product purchase information, collected from apoint of sale system, to generate incentives that can be presented tothe customer during the shopping transaction.

While the Target system and Powell smart card system do enable users topredetermine the items they are interested in purchasing at a discount,users have to determine what products they want based on the couponsbeing offered, rather than being able to select the items they want andthen determine if any coupons apply. Both systems are also restricted tooffering customers coupons before they start shopping rather than whilethey are actively shopping in the store. The system described by Deaton,et al., at least adds the ability to offer customers coupons while theyare checking out, but not while they are actually shopping and in aposition to evaluate whether they want a product based on the coupon ornot. The Q-bot system and similar proximity marketing systems collect noinformation about the particular interests of a consumer and use mereconjecture when offering information or discounts, or force customers tochoose discounted products that may not otherwise be of interest to theconsumer. In other words, the companies running these promotions canonly make guesses about what might interest a user at a particular timebased on prior purchases by that user or their present location. Suchcompanies do not use information about a user's current wants or needsto target marketing promotions specific to that user based on such wantsor needs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the portable computing deviceutilized in the selection system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a base serverof the selection system of the present invention configured withwireless input/output devices;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the layout of a grocery store configured tooperate with the base server and wireless input/output devices of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the portable computing device of FIG. 1displaying an interactive list and visual cues for locating items withinthe grocery store illustrated in FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B are flow charts illustrating the basic operation of theselection system of the present invention within the grocery store ofFIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a selection system, and moreparticularly to a system that enables users to create an interactivelist of items to select or locate within a store or geographic area,provides users with cues as to the location of such items within thestore or area, progresses through the interactive list as such items arelocated, and provides information about, discounts on or alternatives tosuch items. The selection system can also market information to the userbased on the interactive list of items and/or the user's proximity to anarea or product.

The interactive list is created and displayed on a portable computingdevice (“PCD”), such as a portable digital assistant or similar device.The PCD is an important component of the selection system of the presentinvention, although the type of device utilized is not significant. Asmart phone that complies with the GSM (Global System for Mobilecommunications) is one example of the type of PCD that could beutilized. A personal digital assistant (“PDA”) modem that can be pluggedinto a notebook computer, such as the Sierra Wireless Aircard 550/555,and which doubles as a cell phone, could also be used. The preferredPCD, however, is a handheld or pocket-size device that enables a user toorganize data by scheduling appointments on a calendar, listing namesand addresses in an address book, creating To-Do lists, sending andreceiving email, and performing other programmed functions. PCDs areusually designed to work with a user's desktop personal computer, wherethey can interconnect the two devices to share information, program thePCD, or even recharge its batteries. Many PCDs can be programmed throughthe use of removable memory devices containing preinstalled programs.

There are a large number of different commercially available PCDs,ranging in size from that of a credit card to that of a small laptopcomputer. For example, the Palm i705 Handheld includes standard PCDapplications, such as a date book (calendar), addresses book, To Dolist, note pad, memo pad, and calculator, but also is capable ofproviding wireless email and wireless Internet connectivity, andcommunicating with compatible devices through an infrared port. Thesoftware, operating systems of most PCDs are based on three commonoperating system platforms, the Palm OS, Microsoft Windows CE OS, orMicrosoft Pocket PC OS, although other less popular operating systems orcompletely different operating system platforms could also be used. ThePalm i705 Handheld, for example, uses Palm OS Software 4.1. Most PCDscan be programmed to perform non-standard applications, such as shoppinglist software, by either uploading new programs onto the PCD through ahardwire connection, a removable memory device, or wirelessly. PCDs thatinclude expansion card slots for receiving memory devices can beprogrammed to perform new operations requiring substantially more memorythan is typically internally provided by a PCD.

A block diagram illustrating the basic functionality of a PCD 100 inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 1. The central processor unit (“CPU”) 110 operatesin conjunction with software (such as the Palm OS or a Microsoftoperating system) stored within the CPU and the memory 112 to controlthe operation of the PCD 100. As previously noted, the memory 112 can beentirely internal, or expandable through the use of removable memorydevices. In a larger PCD, the data I/O (“Input/Output”) 114 could be akeyboard or data pad, but in smaller, handheld PCDs, such as thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, the data I/O 114 iseither a keyboard that is integrated into the PCD or a pressuresensitive touch screen that is integrated into the display 116 andcontrolled by the user with a stylus that allows the user to writecharacters within an on-screen software controlled input area or anon-screen software controlled keyboard. The Palm OS and Microsoftoperating systems include handwriting recognition software, such asGraffiti and Jot, which enable users to print individual letters withinthe input area and have the corresponding characters displayed near thecursor on the display. Many PCDs, such as the Palm i705 Handheld,include connectors that enable additional input devices to be connectedto the PCD through the data I/O 114. The display 116 would preferably bea color display, but monochrome displays, such as that used on thecurrent version of the Palm i705 Handheld, would also be acceptable.

The preferred embodiment of the PCD 100 also includes a wireless I/O 118that utilizes either the radio waves of a wireless modem or infraredlight to communicate with an externally located device, such as an emailserver, an Internet Service Provider, or a base station, such as thebase server 210 illustrated in FIG. 2, through one or more wireless I/Odevices 220 connected to the base server 210. The PCD 100 alsopreferably includes a geo-positional satellite (“GPS”) receiver 120, orsimilar locator device, so the PCD 100 can determine the exact locationof the user within the store or other geographic area at all times.Alternatively, the GPS receiver could be connected to the PCD 100 as anexpansion device 122. In the absence of a GPS receiver, othertechnologies could be used to determine the location of a user, such asdifferent physical zones identified by some unique characteristic, suchas a different carrier wave used to communicate within each zone. Also,for example, each of the three wireless I/O devices 220 depicted in FIG.2 could send a signal to the PCD 100 at the same time, measure theresponse time of the PCD 100 to each signal, and triangulate the user'slocation based on those response times.

Less expensive versions of the PCD 100 could also be developed withouteither a wireless I/O or a GPS receiver. Such PCDs would be configuredwith a connector that enables the PCD 100 to physically connect, ordock, with the external base server 210 instead of wirelessly connectingwith the base server 210. The base server 210 could be any one of anumber of commercially available workstation-type computers manufacturedby Sun Microsystems, IBM or Silicon Graphics, and would include aprimary computer for processing information, internal and externalstorage for assisting the computer and for storing databases ofadditional information about products, such prices, alternatives toproducts, location information for products, incentive discountsavailable through manufactures or distributors, etc., and an I/O systemfor communicating directly with the PCD 100 or indirectly through thewireless I/O devices 220. All of the computer, wireless and physicalconnection technologies necessary to perform such processing, storageand communication functions are well known in the art. As noted above,the preferred embodiment of the present invention would also include anexpansion slot that enables users to connect one or more expansiondevices 122 to the PCD 100, such as pagers, modems, MP3 players andmore.

With reference now to FIG. 3, the preferred and alternative embodimentsof the invention are illustrated within the environment of a grocerystore 310. In particular, FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the layout ofthe grocery store 310 configured to operate with the base server 210 andthe wireless I/O devices 220 of FIG. 2. The grocery store 310 includes anumber of large refrigerated display sections 312 along the interiorwalls, a number of central aisles 314, and a number of special displayareas or stands 316. Within the grocery store 310 is an office 318 thatis used by the managers for overseeing the operation of the store andmonitoring the check out stations 320. Rear storage space, loadingareas, and other such facilities common to such retail stores are notshown. A user entering the grocery store 310 through its front door 322with the PCD 100 could attach it to a holding place on a grocery cart326 or simply hold the PCD 100 in their hand while they walked throughthe grocery store 310.

As previously noted, the PCD 100 is preferably a wireless device capableof remotely communicating with one or more wireless I/O devices, such ascellular sites, located over a large geographic area. Cellulartelephones, for example, wirelessly connect to a cellular network byinitially connecting to the first cellular site with the strongestsignal, and as the cellular telephone user moves, the connection to thefirst cellular site is handed off to another cellular site with astronger signal in order to keep the user connected to the cellularnetwork at all times. Each of these cellular sites is in turn connectedto one or more central stations that route users' calls to other centralstations and to other cellular users, or to the homes or businesses theusers are calling. This same type of function could be utilized in thepresent invention. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention,a number of wireless I/O devices, i.e., the wireless base stations 328,330 and 332, are located throughout the store 310 to ensure that eachuser within the store is able to maintain a connection with the in-storeselection network. The base stations are preferably mounted near theceiling of the store 310 and pointed in a generally downward directionin order to improve their ability to establish and maintain a connectionwith PCD 100.

When the PCD 100 first enters the store 310, it might establish aconnection with base station 328 because it is closest to the front door322 and has the strongest signal. Once the user begins to movethroughout the store, the connection to the PCD 100 might be passed frombase station 328 to base station 330, and then from base station 330 to332, etc. Each of these base stations is in turn in connection with oneor more central stations, such as the central selection server 334. Inthe store 310, the central selection server 334 is located near theground so PCDs without wireless communication capabilities can bedirectly connected to a data I/O of the selection server when a userenters or exits the store. Similar data I/Os could be located throughoutthe store to enable users to stay in contact with the selection serverwhile they shop. Alternatively, the PCD 100 could use wireless messagesto communicate data to remotely located base stations or cellular sites,which in turn communicate with a remotely located selection server. Inother words, no equipment, other than the PCD 100, needs to bephysically located within the store 310 in order to practice the presentinvention. In this manner, the store 310 would not need to purchasespecial equipment for each store and one selection server could servemany different users at many different stores simultaneously.

Since many people currently use PCDs to maintain contact lists,calendars and To Do lists, it will be second nature to such people touse a PCD as an alternative to a shopping list. This has beendemonstrated by the popularity of shopping list software that issignificantly less functional than the present invention. This inventionis not limited to grocery stores and grocery store lists, however, userscould also create lists of items on their PCD that they wanted to locateand possibly buy in a wide variety of locations, such as warehouse-likediscount stores and hardware stores, or even shopping malls. Even if auser had not created a list before entering an establishment, the usercould still use the selection system of the present invention to obtain,locate or select and purchase items. For example, the selection systemcould be used at a baseball park, football stadium, college campus, acity center or similar geographically limited area during the course ofan event to locate food, drinks, souvenirs, or even the nearestbathroom. A user at a game could communicate with a selection serveroperated by or in cooperation with the park or stadium vendors. Onceconnected to a user, the selection server could obtain the user's seatlocation and present the user with a list of items that could bedelivered to the user based on their seat location during the game.Ideally, such items would be located near the user's seat location atthe event so they could be quickly delivered to the user while still hotor cold. A user could even pay for selected items using the PCD so shedidn't need to exchange money when the items arrived.

The grocery store application, however, is probably one of the best usesof the present invention. Grocery store lists are created as peoplerealize they need items and those items are generally not listed in thesame order that such items are located throughout the store. Even when auser lists every item in the perfect order, the person shopping oftenmisses an item in one aisle and either fails to buy it or has to go backthrough the store and get that item later. Many times the personcreating the list of items to be located is not the person who will endup shopping for those items and may be less familiar with the locationof those items within the store, or the store has changed the items itis carrying or moved the stock around the store, so the whole shoppingprocess takes them longer. Also, the person shopping for the items mightnot know which brand to pick or an acceptable alternative to a specificitem on the list that isn't stocked. The entire process of listing itemsand shopping for those items is responsible for a significant amount ofdomestic strife that can be lessened through use of the presentinvention.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, users would firstlocate stores that are supporting the selection system. Such storescould produce lists of items available within their store using a “list”software application that could be downloaded to a user's PCD eitherthrough the Internet from a website, by connecting to the store'sselection server, or even by communicating with another PCD that hadalready downloaded the list application. These list applications wouldbe specifically designed to run with that store's selection server.Alternatively, users could simply download a generic list applicationprogram that enabled them to create lists for use with any selectionserver.

Once a user had loaded the list application on the PCD 100, they couldadd items to the list at any time, even while shopping within the store.Ideally, the user would set the PCD 100 up at a convenient location,perhaps on a counter within the user's kitchen or on a stand mounted toa wall, and add items to the list as the need for such items wasrecognized. While the kitchen is an ideal location if the type of listbeing created is for use at a grocery store, as previously noted, thepresent invention is not limited to grocery store lists. For example, auser could create generic lists of different types of items; downloadindustry specific applications for each type of store (i.e., grocery,hardware, clothing, etc.); download store product lists from differentretailers (i.e., Safeway, Giant, Walmart, Costco, Target, etc.); or evendownload store product lists for differently configured stores operatedby the same retailer (i.e., the Safeway on Main Street and the Safewayon Skyler Avenue). All of these lists could be stored on the PCD 100,stored on removable storage devices, or only loaded onto the PCD 100 asdesired by a user.

Referring to FIG. 3 and to FIG. 4, upon entering the store 310 with awirelessly enabled PCD 100, a connection would be established betweenthe PCD 100 and the selection server 334, either through a directphysical connection or through one of the wireless base stations 328,330 or 332. Once a connection had been established, the PCD 100 wouldthen upload the appropriate list for that store to the selection server334. The selection server 334 would then check the contents of the listagainst a database of products within the store 310, produce a visualmap 410 of the store with marks 414 indicating the location of the firstitem and each subsequent item on the list 412 within the store of eachproduct on the list, and download the map to the user's PCD 100. If thestore 310 was called the XYZ store, then a label for the XYZ store 400might be displayed at the top of the display, as shown in FIG. 4.

Instead of a visual map, the location of items could be indicated byaural cues, such as a series of beeps or tones, or displayed in manyother ways. For example, the base station could download detailedtext-based information about the location of each of the items on theuser's list, such as an aisle number (i.e., Aisle 7), the side (i.e., 7Aor 7B), a shelf height, etc. If a user did not have a wirelessly enabledPCD 100, the user could alternatively connect the PCD to selectionserver 334 or as previously noted, connect to numerous physicalconnection points distributed throughout the store. Many PCDs areequipped with inexpensive optical sensors, so users might only need tocommunicate with an optical sensor connected to the selection server334.

If the price of appropriately equipped PCDs was still beyond the budgetof most users of a particular store, the store could supply PCDs tousers to use while in the store. To prevent the PCD from being stolen,the PCDs could be secured to the store's shopping carts. Users couldthen enter information directly into the PCD, or they could submit alist of items to the selection server 334, which could scan in theuser's written list and create an electronic version of the list on thePCD 100. The effectiveness of this solution, however, will be highlydependent on the quality of the user's handwriting, the language used tocreate the list, the scanning, character and word recognitioncapabilities of the selection server, etc. If a store providespreprinted lists that users can simple mark off, like acomputer-readable answer sheet, then this will be a much more effectivesolution.

Once a user loaded product location information onto their PCD 100, theuser can proceed to locate the listed items within the store 310. Asnoted, the downloaded information can include location marks orindicators, such as a cue or blinking indicator 412, on the visual map410, to further assist the user in locating the item. Alternatively, thePCD could beep when a user neared a desired item within the store.Either way, this feature could free store staff from having to spend somuch time helping customers find items within the store. All of thevisual indicators could be displayed on the visual map 410 at once, orone at a time could be displayed based on each user's preference.

As previously noted, the downloaded list 414 does not have to be in thesame order as the list uploaded to the selection server 334. Forexample, when creating a list, a user could write items on the list inany order they desired, or in accordance with a predetermined form listprovided by the store. When the selection server 334 received a list, itcould organize the list based on the location of the user within thestore, i.e., front left corner of the store, or a user specifiedpreference, or the location of the items on the uploaded list within thestore 310. User could then start at one end of the store and move to theother end of the store, picking up all of their items along the way,without having to go back through the store to collect missing or hardto locate items, regardless of where the user begins to shop within thestore.

If a specific item was not available in the store, the selection servercould let the user know as soon as the reorganized list was downloadedto the user's PCD 100. The user could then either chose to eliminatethat item from their list, or the selection server could provide theuser with an alternative to the selected item, possibly together withinformation as to why the alternative might be acceptable. If a user haddownloaded a list application from the store before creating their list,then the user would know which items the store carries and would noteven select items not offered by the store. If items normally carried bythe store were out of stock, then the selection server could treat thesituation the same as though the item wasn't carried by the store.Although, the store could even let the user know when the item wasscheduled to be delivered to the store so the user could back order theitem and pick it up at a later date.

Since ketchup was the first item on the list 414 and, in the store 310,ketchup is located in the last aisle on the right hand side of thestore, the PCD 100 might therefore have the user start on that side ofthe store by blinking a location mark or indicator where the ketchup waslocated. Once the user picked up the ketchup, and crossed ketchup offthe list, i.e., using a stylus (not shown) for directly manipulatingvisual objects shown on the touch-sensitive screen of the PCD 100, thePCD would automatically identify the location of the next item (coffee)on the list, i.e., by blinking an indicator where coffee was locatedwithin the store 310. As shown on the list 414, the user has alreadylocated the first three items and is now looking for black olives, whichmight be located in the store as shown by the mark 412. If the userchecked or crossed black olives off the list, the PCD 100 would thendisplay the location of oregano, and so forth. Rather than use a stylus,users could manipulate through the list or the screens on the PCD, or bymoving a cursor down the list 414 by means of traditional controlmechanisms of many portable computing devices, such as the toggle 416,the buttons 418.

In addition to displaying the location of items within the store, thePCD could be used to display pricing information 420 about each item,comparative price information between different choices of products(i.e., 18 oz of canned black olives for $1.49, $0.083/oz, bymanufacturer A compared to 16 oz of canned black olives at $1.23,$0.077/oz, by manufacturer B). Product manufacturers or stores, such asthe XYZ store 400, could take advantage of the information supplied bythe user (i.e., the fact that the user wants certain types ofinformation, a certain brand, etc.), to download specific informationabout their products, or electronic coupons for discounts on certaintypes of products, directly to the user while they are shopping, versusbefore they came in or after checking out of the store, on their wayout. This targeted proximity advertising information could be displayedon the PCD 100 in place of or in addition to the pricing information420, within the list 412 (i.e., “coffee” could be replaced with“Folger's coffee” or “Peets Major Dickenson's” blend), or on a differentscreen of the PCD that users would turn or page to upon seeing ablinking indicator associated with certain items on the list.Advertisement, community service messages, funny sayings, famous quotes,or a wide variety of other bits of additional information could also beloaded on to the PCD 100 for display to the user at appropriate times.In addition to pricing information, the PCD 100 could also keep arunning total or a visit total 422, of the cost of the items selected bya user during a visit. In the later case, the user might have toindicate the total number of each item purchased so the PCD couldmaintain an accurate total. If a user had input a budget into the PCD100 before shopping, the PCD 100 could let the user know where the userwas in relation to using up that budget.

If a PCD is wirelessly enabled, the base stations could periodicallycommunicate with the PCD 100 to adjust the list as the user made changesor additions, or to upload targeted advertisements or other informationas needed by the PCD. If the PCD 100 is equipped with a GPS or similardevice so as to pinpoint a user's exact location within the store, or bycalculating the triangulated position based on how quickly the PCDresponds to different signals broadcast by different base stations, orby simply guessing the user's position within the store at anyparticular moment (i.e., if a user has already crossed off bread, buthas not yet crossed off black olives, then the user must be close to acertain aisle), then the store could also display advertisements forproducts near the user that were not on the user's list.

If a store did not want to establish or maintain a separate databasecontaining the price of items within the store, or of certain itemswithin a store, such as specialty items, so the PCD 100 could track thevisit total 422, then alternative price, price comparison and visittotals could be developed using other tools. For example, the PCD couldbe equipped with bar code scanning capabilities that would enable usersto scan in necessary information from products as they shopped. Thisscanned information could then be used by the PCD 100 to indicate pricesto users, visit totals, price comparisons, etc.

Similarly, if a PCD was equipped with trusted identification or securepayment features, the user could simply present their PCD 100 to a clerkduring check out and have the cash register automatically processpayment through a pre-determined credit card, or based on fundsdeposited with the secure payment system. While the payment process wasongoing, or before the payment process was initiated, the clerk couldproceed to bag the user's items, while simultaneously verifying theitems in the user's shopping cart against the items registered with thePCD 100. Self service stores could even eliminate the need for clerks byrequiring users to run items through a secure scanner to identify itemsand verify pricing, while processing the payment data supplied by theuser.

A flow chart further illustrating a simplified version of one way inwhich the selection system of the present invention could operate withinthe grocery store 310 of FIG. 3 is illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. InStep 500, the PCD 100 first establishes a connection with the selectionserver 334, which then verifies the user's uploaded list to make surethe list is for the correct store or to check for other issues. In Step502, the selection server 334 attempts to determine if the user'slocation can be determined, such as through use of a GPS device,triangulation, etc., and if it can, the selection server 334 thenorganizes the list based on the user's location within the store 310,Step 504. If the user's position cannot be determined, the selectionserver 334, as is illustrated in Step 506 organizes the list by default(i.e., starting every other user on the right hand side of the store, orsome other default setting) or if the user has entered an organizationalpreference with the uploaded list, then the selection server 334 wouldautomatically follow that preference.

In Step 508, the selection server 334 then checks the user's list todetermine if everything is available within the store 310. If an item isnot available, then the selection server 334 would attempt to determineif an alternative was available, Step 510, and if not available, then itwould notify the user accordingly through the PCD 100, Step 512. If oneor more alternatives were available, then in Step 514, the selectionserver 334 would send alternative information to the user, such asdifferent brand names or even different types of items that the user maynot have realized were similar to the missing item(s). The selectionserver 334 could even instruct the PCD 100 to display comparativeinformation about the alternatives and the desired item(s) to furtherhelp the user decide.

If the user selected an alternative, then the process would continue tothe next step, but if the user did not select all of the alternatives,then for each item not selected, the user would again be instructed thatthe desired item is unavailable by returning to Step 512. Rather thanidentify unavailable items and alternatives before the user startedshopping, the selection server 334, could perform this function whilethe user was actively shopping, such as when the user came to anunavailable item and had a chance to see the other items available,which would make it more likely that a user would select an alternative.Once all of the available and alternative items had been determined, alist of those items would be displayed on PCD 100, Step 518. In thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, in addition to displayingthe list of items, the selection server 334 would also send a store mapand an indication of where the first item on the list could be locatedfor display on the PCD 100, Step 520.

Once the user had obtained the organized list, a store map, and anindication of the location of the first item, the user could disconnectfrom the selection server 334 if necessary. If the user did not have theability to maintain a connection with the selection server 334, then theuser might want to make sure that she had collected all of thealternative choices for items before disconnecting. In Step 530 of FIG.5B, however, it is assumed that the user can maintain a connection withthe selection server 334 while moving through the store and the positionof the user within the store can either be determined or fairlyaccurately guessed. For example, it might be possible to make a fairlyaccurate guess as to the user's current position within the store basedon the last item selected by the user and the next item on the user'slist relative to those items within the store. Thus, based on at leastthe user's location and the items on the user's list, the selectionsystem will attempt to market an alternative to the user, or offer theuser a discount on the desired item(s) or an alternative item, or simplyprovide the user with information about the different products, Step532.

If the user selects the alternative item, Step 534, then that item isadded to the user's list, Step 536. If the user marks the item as havingbeen selected, then the alternative item is treated like any other itemon the user's list. The item that the alternative replaced would not be,however, automatically taken off the list so the information was notlost. The user would have to delete the item to remove it from the list,but the user could mark the item as not having been selected. If theuser did not select the alternative, then the alternative would bemarked as having been already provided to the user so that the samealternatives are not offered over and over, Step 538. This last stepexplains why Step 530 asks whether the user is near a “new” alternative,versus any alternative that could be available. A discount offer wouldbe handled in much the same manner as a marketed alternative. If a userselects a discount offer or purchase incentive, then the incentive wouldbe added to the user's list and processed at check out, provided theuser met the terms of the offer. Other information and actions could beperformed in a similar fashion to alternatives and discounts, especiallyin environments other than grocery stores.

In Step 540, the selection system tests to see whether a user haschecked the item currently marked on the map off their list by changingits status or state from that of an unselected or un-located item tothat of a selected item. If the status has not changed, then theselection system assumes that the user has not yet arrived at that itemor is looking at other items, in which case the process loops back tothe alternative/discount subroutine discussed above. If the user checksan item off the list, then the system assumes the user has selected theitem and wishes to purchase the item. The user could also reject theitem, for example if the item did not meet their needs or qualityexpectations, and the system would automatically move on to the nextitem on the list, without updating the visit total. Other symbols, suchas deletions or cross-offs, could be used to indicate items that havenot been selected. In Step 542, since the user has checked the item offthe list, the selection system displays the price for the item and thecumulative trip/visit total. Although not shown in FIG. 5B, the systemcould also ask the user if multiples of an item were selected, and if sohow many, in which case the visit total would be computed by multiplyingthe price of the selected item by the number of such items selected.

Once an item has been selected, the selection system checks to see ifthere is another item on the list, Step 544, and if so, indicates thelocation of the next item, Step 546. This process returns to Step 530and repeats until there are no more items on the user's list, in whichcase, the user is sent a message that the list has been completed andqueries whether the user is done shopping, Step 548. In Step 550, it isdetermined whether the user has finished shopping. If not, the processreturns to Step 530 and repeats until the user has stopped shopping, orperhaps the system performs some other function not illustrated. If theuser has stopped shopping, the selection system then determines whetherthe user wants to pay through use of the payment mechanism utilized bythe PCD 100, or in some other way, Step 552. If the user chooses to usethe PCD to pay for the selected items, when the user arrives at thecheck out (point of sale) station, the selected items are verifiedagainst the items included in the trip/visit total, and if they match,the user's payment is processed, Step 554. If they don't match, then thetrip/visit total is adjusted according to the items actually selected bythe user and the adjusted amount is submitted for payment processing. Ifthe user wants to pay through a more traditional means, then the usersimply proceeds to one of the check out stations 320. Once the user hasbeen checked out and payment has been processed, the PCD 100 saves thelist so it can be used again the next time the user shops, or used asthe basis for a new list of items, Step 558.

The present invention, while illustrated and described in terms of apreferred embodiment and several alternatives, is not limited to theparticular description contained in this specification. Additionalalternative or equivalent components and steps could be used to practicethe present invention.

1. A method for identifying a location of a shopping cart within ageographic area, comprising the steps of: identifying a portablecomputing device having a GPS receiver, the portable computing devicebeing physically associated with the shopping cart; and communicatingwith the GPS receiver to identify the location of the shopping cart. 2.The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step ofidentifying a physical distance from the location of the shopping cartto an item within the geographic area.
 3. The method recited in claim 2,wherein the item is desired by or advertised to a user of the shoppingcart.
 4. A locatable shopping cart, comprising: a shopping cart; and aGPS receiver physically connected to the shopping cart, the GPS receiveridentifying a location of the shopping cart by identifying a location ofthe GPS receiver.
 5. The locatable shopping cart recited in claim 4,further comprising a portable computing device physically connected tothe shopping cart operating in conjunction with the GPS receiver.
 6. Thelocatable shopping cart recited in claim 5, further comprising alocation identification software operating on the portable computingdevice and identifying the location of the shopping cart to a user. 7.The locatable shopping cart recited in claim 6, wherein the portablecomputing device has an application that changes its operation based onthe location of the shopping cart.
 8. The locatable shopping cartrecited in claim 5, further comprising a shopping list software programoperating on the portable computing device and assisting a user of theshopping cart in shopping within a store.
 9. The locatable shopping cartrecited in claim 8, wherein the shopping list software program isoperated wirelessly over a network.
 10. The locatable shopping cartrecited in claim 8, wherein a shopping list for the user is downloadedover a network to the portable computing device to operate with theshopping list software program.
 11. A locatable shopping cart,comprising: a shopping cart; and a wireless location device connected tothe shopping cart, the wireless location device identifying a locationof the shopping cart by identifying a location of the wireless locationdevice.
 12. The locatable shopping cart recited in claim 11, furthercomprising a portable computing device physically connected to theshopping cart operating in conjunction with the wireless locationdevice.
 13. The locatable shopping cart recited in claim 12, furthercomprising a location identification software operating on the portablecomputing device and identifying the location of the shopping cart to auser.
 14. The locatable shopping cart recited in claim 13, wherein theportable computing device has an application that changes its operationbased on the location of the shopping cart.
 15. The locatable shoppingcart recited in claim 12, further comprising a shopping list softwareprogram operating on the portable computing device and assisting a userof the shopping cart in shopping within a store.
 16. The locatableshopping cart recited in claim 15, wherein the shopping list softwareprogram is operated wirelessly over a network.
 17. The locatableshopping cart recited in claim 15, wherein a shopping list for the useris downloaded over a network to the portable computing device to operatewith the shopping list software program.